Trio Of Athletes Sign Letters Of Intent

Feb 20, 2015 01:45PM
● By Ron Bevan

Corner Canyon athletes Gaige Kartchner, Brandon Bowen and Bayley Bruner pose with their parents after signing to play collegiate ball. Kartchner is going to Weber State, Bowen will attend Ohio State and Bruner is heading to Oregon.

It’s official for three Corner Canyon athletes who have committed to taking their games to the next level.

Brandon Bowen, Gaige Kartchner and Bayley Bruner signed letters of intent Feb. 4. Bowen and Kartchner are moving on as football players, and Bruner will continue her soccer career.

Bruner became the first Corner Canyon female athlete to commit to collegiate ball. She will take her soccer skills to Oregon. She has been a forward on the Corner Canyon team since its first year in competition and played at Alta the prior year.

“I have been talking to schools since I was a freshman,” Bruner said. “At first, it was the smaller schools that contacted me, but then I progressively got better and the bigger schools began calling.”

Bruner was the leading scorer for the Chargers the past two seasons. She scored 16 goals as a junior and added 11 more last season.

Bruner began playing soccer at the tender age of 4. She moved into the competitions ranks when she hit fifth grade. She competes for Avalanche when she isn’t wearing Corner Canyon’s uniform. Her club team has won state titles three times and made it to nationals last year.

“I always wanted to play a college sport, and when I found out at a young age how much I loved soccer, I decided to focus my talents on soccer,” she said.

Well, almost all her talents. Bruner also runs the sprints for Corner Canyon and is the current record holder in four track events.

“It was our first year, so, of course, I have the records,” she said. “My goal this year is to beat my last year’s times.”

Kartchner is taking his defense to Weber State as a linebacker.

“I have had offers from several schools, including Nevada and Boise State,” Kartchner said. “I just felt more comfortable with the coaching staff at Weber. It was a good feeling when I visited, and I felt that was where I belonged.”

Kartchner came up through the Alta youth football program, putting on cleats when he was 10 years old. He played his sophomore season at Alta before moving to his hometown school when Corner Canyon opened its doors.

“All my friends were coming to the new school, and I wanted to as well,” Kartchner said.

Although he played running back as a youth, Kartchner has made his name on defense as a linebacker.

“Signing day was an awesome day for me,” he said. “All my friends and family were there that day. They have been with me my whole career, so to share signing day with them was very special.”

Perhaps the biggest signee is Bowen, a 6’7” 315-pound offensive lineman that was sought by many Division 1 schools. Bowen had committed last year to attend the University of Utah, but had a change of heart. Instead, he committed to Ohio State on signing day.

“My trip (to Ohio State) really opened my eyes to a lot of things,” Bowen told scout.com’s Doug Kimmel. “That coaching staff is the best of the best. I want to be part of something special, and that’s what Ohio State is.”

Indeed, Bowen is joining the team that is the current national college football champions, after beating Oregon for the title in January.

“We are putting Corner Canyon’s name out there and getting us on the map,” Kartchner said. “Not everyone gets the opportunity to play at the next level, and we are all going to division one schools. We are grateful for our opportunities. And I am proud of Bowen, for him to go to the reigning national champions and play for a coach like Urban Meyer.”